Rose Rosette Disease virus has finally been identified!

Authors: Alma G. Laney1, Karen E. Keller2, Robert R. Martin2 and Ioannis E. Tzanetakis1,3

Authors affiliation: 1 University of Arkansas; 2 USDA-ARS;
3 E-mail: itzaneta@uark.edu

Published in: Published online ahead of print on 6 April 2011 as doi:10.1099/vir.0.031146-0
J Gen Virol (2011), DOI 10.1099/vir.0.031146-0

"Rose rosette was first described in the early 1940s and it has emerged as one of the most devastating diseases of rose. Although it has been seventy years since the disease description, the rosette agent is yet to be characterized. In this communication, we identify and characterize the putative causal agent of the disease, a negative-sense RNA virus and new member of the genus Emaravirus. The virus was detected in 84/84 rose rosette-affected plants collected from the eastern half of the United States but not in any of 30 symptomless plants tested. The strong correlation between virus and disease is a good indication that the virus, provisionally named Rose rosette virus, is the causal agent of the disease. Diversity studies using two virus proteins, p3 and p4, demonstrated that the virus has low diversity between isolates as they share nucleotide identities ranging from 97 to 99%."

http://vir.sgmjournals.org/content/early/2011/04/06/vir.0.031146-0.abstract?etoc

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It is important to not mix up herbicide damage with RRD virus damage. Some/many? of the observed problems may be due to the use of Round-Up type weed killers near the roses. The Round-Up can leave the roots of a weed, pass through the soil, and be picked up by the roots of nearby rose bushes.

See the link below for Round-up spread:

http://www.agron.iastate.edu/news/events/2011staniforth_sm.pdf  (page 19 and 20)

The glyphosate could remain bound for long time periods. 

"Glyphosate [(N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine)] is a widely used herbicide and it is known to compete for the same sorption sites in soil as phosphorus. Persistence and losses of glyphosate were monitored in a field with low phosphorus status and possible correlation between glyphosate and phosphorus leaching losses was studied. Glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA (aminomethyl phosphonic acid) residues in soil samples were analysed after a single application in autumn. Twenty months after the application the residues of glyphosate and AMPA in the topsoil (0�25 cm) corresponded to 19% and 48%, respectively, of the applied amount of glyphosate, and traces of glyphosate and AMPA residues were detected in deeper soil layers (below 35 cm). These results indicate rather long persistence for glyphosate in boreal soils."

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w1461w60366lk018/

Then, when you add fertilizer with P; the glyphosate could be released.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/t7h6601566432076/

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Round-Up can cause problems even if sprayed last summer or fall.

A quote from Roses: Cultural Practices and Weed Control: "Roses are also very sensitive to glyphosate (Roundup and many other trade names), which can be absorbed through the green stems in addition to the leaves. Glyphosate damage may appear at bud break the following spring after a summer or fall application that contacts leaves or stems; symptoms include a proliferation of small, narrow shoots and leaves."

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See the 3 links below to see what Round-Up damage on roses looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyuM5gjdx7g

AND

 http://buggyrose.tripod.com/iabioticdisorders.htm

AND

http://plantpathology.uark.edu/Number5-2009.pdf

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How to distinguish Round-Up damage from Rose Rosette Virus damage?

The Univ of Arkansas link I gave earlier http://plantpathology.uark.edu/Number5-2009.pdf

states: "Roundup injury resembles a virus called Rose Rosette Virus. You can tell the difference by examining the thorns. Plants with the virus have an excessive growth of unusually soft and pliable red or green thorns ."

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Further suggested reading

See the following article by Ann Peck for a general description of the RRD virus problem"

http://www.ars.org/?page_id=3241

Ann Peck's full article (a twelve chapter E-book) is at: http://www.rosegeeks.com/.